Barbecue grill with variably positioned food basket

Abstract

A barbecue grill provides a top cooking level and a central cooking zone located below the top cooking level. Lateral heat panels warm the central cooking zone. A food basket is configured to be opened and loaded with foodstuff when in an approximately horizontal position at the top cooking level. An elevator mechanism lowers the filled food basket into the central cooking zone while converting the food basket to an approximately vertical position. The food cooks while the basket is vertical. The elevator mechanism raises the basket of cooked food to the top cooking level while converting the food basket to approximately horizontal position. A user-operated control selectively actuates the elevator mechanism to move the food basket in either direction.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A barbecue grill, comprising:
 a housing providing a top cooking level suitable for supporting a gridiron and providing space below the top cooking level; 
 at least two opposed heat panels located in said space below the top cooking level, spaced laterally apart to thereby establish a central cooking zone between the heat panels and below the top cooking level, and oriented to direct cooking heat laterally into said central cooking zone; 
 a food basket variably oriented with respect to the housing in either an approximately horizontal position or an approximately vertical position, suitably configured to be opened and loaded with foodstuff when in said approximately horizontal position and suitably configured to retain foodstuff when in either position, and suitably sized to at least partially fit in the central cooking zone when in said approximately vertical position; 
 a moving means for bidirectionally moving said food basket between the approximately horizontal position and the approximately vertical position, wherein in the approximately horizontal position the moving means locates the food basket near the top cooking level and in the approximately vertical position the moving means locates the food basket in the central cooking zone; and 
 a user operated control selectively actuating the moving means to move the food basket toward a selected position. 
 
     
     
       2. The barbecue grill of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 sheltering means for sheltering said moving means from thermal and debris contamination. 
 
     
     
       3. The barbecue grill of  claim 1 , wherein:
 said housing comprises a front wall and a rear wall, wherein at least one of said front and rear walls is a double wall formed of an inside wall portion and an outside wall portion defining a gap between the inside and outside wall portions thereof; and 
 at least a portion of said moving means is located in said gap whereby the inside wall portion shelters said portion of the moving means from thermal and debris contamination. 
 
     
     
       4. The barbecue grill of  claim 3 , wherein:
 said food basket is configured with first and second opposite side edges: 
 said housing carries said food basket by first engagement near said first side edge; 
 said moving means carries the food basket by second engagement near said second side edge; 
 said second engagement is connected to a portion of the moving means located in said gap; and 
 said inside wall portion defines an opening encompassing a path of movement for the second engagement whereby the second engagement can move the second side edge of the food basket downwardly from said position hear the top cooking level into said central cooking zone. 
 
     
     
       5. The barbecue grill of  claim 1 , wherein:
 said food basket is configured with first and second opposite side edges: 
 said housing carries said food basket by a first engagement near said first side edge; 
 said moving means carries the food basket by a second engagement near said second side edge; and 
 said moving means establishes a path of movement for the second engagement whereby the second engagement can move the second side edge of the food basket downwardly from said position hear the top cooking level and into said central cooking zone. 
 
     
     
       6. The barbecue grill of  claim 1 , wherein:
 said control is a rotary control operating a chain sprocket; and 
 said moving means is a chain operatively engaging said chain sprocket and connected to said food basket, wherein the chain follows a path of movement including a run suitably configured for moving the food basket between said approximately horizontal position and said approximately vertical position. 
 
     
     
       7. The barbecue grill of  claim 1 , wherein:
 said housing comprises a front wall and a rear wall, wherein each of said front and rear walls is a double wall defined by an inside wall portion and an outside wall portion defining a gap between the inside and outside wall portions thereof; 
 said moving means comprises a first moving means located in said front wall gap and a second moving means located in said rear wall gap; and 
 further comprising a coupling means for coupling the first and second moving means for synchronized operation. 
 
     
     
       8. The barbecue grill of  claim 7 , wherein:
 said coupling means is located near the bottom of said housing. 
 
     
     
       9. The barbecue grill of  claim 1 , wherein:
 said housing comprises a front wall and a rear wall; 
 said moving means comprises a first moving means carried on said front wall and a second moving means carried on said rear wall; and 
 further comprising a coupling means for coupling the first and second moving means for synchronized operation. 
 
     
     
       10. The barbecue grill of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an elevator mechanism carried on said housing at said central cooking zone and including a rotisserie spit engagement near the upper end thereof; and 
 means for vertically moving said rotisserie spit engagement with respect to said central cooking zone. 
 
     
     
       11. The barbecue grill of  claim 10 , wherein said means for vertically moving said rotisserie spit engagement with respect to said central cooking zone comprises:
 a vertical gear rack carried on said elevator mechanism and operatively engaging a mating pinion gear such that rotation of the pinion gear vertically moves said gear rack and elevator mechanism with respect to said central cooking zone; and 
 a rotary control carried on said housing and operatively connected to said pinion gear to rotate the pinion gear with respect to the vertical gear rack to raise and lower said rotisserie spit engagement. 
 
     
     
       12. The barbecue grill of  claim 11 , wherein:
 said housing comprises a front wall and a rear wall, wherein at least one of said front and rear walls is a double wall formed of an inside wall portion and an outside wall portion defining a gap between the inside and outside wall portions thereof; and 
 at least a portion of said elevator mechanism is located in said gap whereby the inside wall portion shelters said portion of the elevator means from thermal and debris contamination. 
 
     
     
       13. The barbecue grill of  claim 12 , wherein:
 said inside wall portion defines a vertical opening encompassing a path of movement for the rotisserie spit engagement whereby the rotisserie spit engagement is moveable along said vertical opening. 
 
     
     
       14. The barbecue grill of  claim 1 , wherein:
 said housing comprises a front wall and a rear wall, wherein each of said front and rear walls is a double wall formed of an inside wall portion and an outside wall portion defining a gap between the inside and outside wall portions thereof; 
 further comprising a first elevator mechanism including a first rotisserie spit reception area located in said front wall gap and a second elevator mechanism including a second rotisserie spit reception area located in said rear wall gap; and 
 a coupling means for coupling the first and second elevator mechanisms for synchronized operation. 
 
     
     
       15. The barbecue grill of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a heat panel moving means for laterally, bidirectionally moving at least one of said heat panels between a position nearer said central cooking zone and a position further from the central cooking zone. 
 
     
     
       16. The barbecue grill of  claim 15 , wherein:
 said housing comprises a front wall and a rear wall, wherein at least one of said front and rear walls is a double wall formed of an inside wall portion and an outside wall portion defining a gap between the inside and outside wall portions thereof; and 
 at least a portion of said heat panel moving means is located in said gap whereby the inside wall portion shelters said portion of the heat panel moving means from thermal and debris contamination. 
 
     
     
       17. The barbecue grill of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a temperature gauge carried by said housing in a position in communication with said central cooking zone.